Rotary cutter vine lifter



June 5, 1950 J. R. TEICHMAN 2,510,723

ROTARY CUTTER VINE LIFTER Filed Jan. 16, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 |y, IN VENTOR.

ATI'D RN EYE June 6, 1950 J. R. TEICHMAN 2,510,723

ROTARY CUTTER VINE LIFTER Filed Jan. 16, 1948 2 Shets-Sheet 2 I g/osgai 7z'c/zmarz,

ATTIJ RN EYE Patented June 6, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROTARY CUTTER VINE LIFTER Joseph 'Ieichman, Perry, Mich.

Application January 16, 1948, Serial No. 2,785

1 Claim. (Cl. 56-314) The present invention relates to a rotary cutter and vine lifter, and i particular to a rotary cutter lifter adapted to be attached to a tractor when cutting banked or hilled-up row crops.

One object of the invention is to provide a rotary cutter which is adapted to be attached to a conventional tractor in such a manner as to out various crops grown in rows or drills which have been hilled-up, to promote growth and to arrange the cutter to rotate in a horizontal plane whereby the crops will be cut in close relation to the ground surface.

Another object is to provide a rotary cutter which is adapted to be attached to the rear of a conventional tractor in alignment with the longitudinal center of the tractor, so that when the tractor straddles the slant row or drill, the cutter axis will coincide with the center of the plant row and permit the rotary cutter to cut the plants or vines adjacent the ground surface in an arcuate swath.

Another object is to provide a rotary cutter attachment for tractors in which a pair of shoes are arranged forwardly of the cutter on opposite sides of the longitudinal center of the tractor and the vertical cutter axis to elevate or raise vines and other plants from the ground surface before the blades of the cutter engage and out said vines and plants.

Another object is to provide a rotary cutter attachment for tractors which is provided with guide bars mounted on the vine lifting shoes immediately forward of said rotary cutter for directing plants and vines inwardly into the path of the rotary cutter blades.

In the drawings- Figure l is a side elevational view of the rotary cutter attachment showing the manner in which the device is applied to a tractor and illustrating the position of the vine and plant lifting shoes in advance of the rotary cutter.

Figure 2 is a top elevational view of the rotary cutter showing further the manner in which the cutter is positioned on the tractor and arranged centrally with respect to the longitudinal center of the tractor.

Figure 3 is a top elevational View of the vine and plant lifting shoes and guide rods for directing plants and vines into the path of the rotary cutter, and,

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of the rotary cutter lifting mechanism showing portions thereof in section to illustrate various details of construction.

In the drawings, for the purpose of illustration,

there is shown a tractor generally indicated at 5, to which the rotary cutter is adapted to be attached. For convenience of illustration, the tractor includes a tubular frame structure 6 having its rear end connected to a transmission housing 1 which is provided with axle housing 8 extending laterally therefrom, and through which extends drive axles II for the supporting traction wheels 9. The forward portion of the tubular frame structure 6 is provided with an enlarged portion Ill which is bolted to the motor, not shown, so that the crankshaft of the motor can be drivingly connected to the drive shaft extending through the tubular housing 6 and into the gear housing I. The front end of the motor I l is supported on a transverse axle l2 having steering wheels [3 at the ends thereof, with their stub shafts connected by means of a link l4, having a steering connection [5 with the steering shaft l6. Suitable gearing is interposed between the steering connection 15, and said gearing is mounted in a housing I! bolted or otherwise affixed to the motor frame structure ll.

Extending rearwardly from the transmission housing 1 through a reduced housing portion I8 is a power take-off shaft l9 which is adapted to be controlled by a gear shaft lever 2| adjacent the drivers seat 22 (Figure l). Formed integral with the axle housings 8 is the conventional brake housing 23 on each end thereof, and extending rearwardly from each housing is a curved flange 24 which extends partially around the brake drum housing, and generally forms a support for conventional farm equipment.

Secured to each of the rearwardly extending flanges 24 is an upwardly extending inclined arm 25 to provide a, pair of spaced supports held in place by screws or the like as at 26. The free ends of the arms 25 are connected by means of a transverse shaft 21 having its ends welded to arms 25. Secured on the tube 21' in spaced apart relation is a pair of rearwardly extending bracket arms 28, the free ends of which are connected as by means of welding to a gear housing 29 of the type used in automobile differentials, having a tubular shaft 30 extending downwardly therefrom. A brace rod 3| has its end connected to the tubular shaft 30 (Figure l), and its opposite end connected to the tube 2'! to thereby brace the tubular shaft 30, but yet permit vertical swinging movement thereof, about the horizontal axis of the shaft 21. The tubular shaft 30 is provided with a drive shaft 30 supported in suitable bearings (not shown), at the top and bottom of the shaft 30, and a rotary cutter disc 32 is inounted on the lower end of said shaft for rotation therewith and is provided with a series of circumferentially spaced cutter blades 33 of sector shape, providing curved cutting edges 34. The cutting edges may be roughened as by hammering and then sharpened to provide a relatively sharp cutting edge 34.

Supported in suitable bearings in the gear housing 29 is a shaft 35 which is drivingly con nected to the rotary cutter shaft by suitable gearing, and the shaft 35 is adapted to be driven from the power take-off shaft [9 of the tractor by means of an intermediate shaft 36 having universal bearing couplings 3i and 38 with the power take-off shaft is and shaft 35 respectively.

' cutter.

:ingrshoesteis supported from the tubular shaft It will thus be seen that the rotary cutter 32 the arm 28,-as' at H, and the lower end extendwill be driven from the power take-off shaft [9 to rotate the cutter in a counter-clockwise direction through the power take-01f.

Connected to the shaft 27, as by welding or the-'likegis an arm 3t, to' w-hicnis pivoted as at 40 a 'tubular 'shaft 41 having internal screw threads 'forreceiving a threaded sha'ft 52, so that thtubular shaft d l and-sha'ft 42- telescopeone witl' iin the other; The upper end of the threaded shaft 4'2' is journaled in a bearing 3,-supported on the tractor frame structure bysuitable brackets/s4 and 45; One of the brackets M is bolted at its lowerend to the tractor floor board 46 a'sat 47, while" the other bracket arn'o l5 'is bolted as at M te the portion 59' or the floor heariii lti-- Trunnion bearings fiii ar'e for-med in te'g' ral with the bearing QS'and extend through aligned 'openin'gs in'the'upper ends ofthe supporting bracket's' tt and d5, therebeing support ing br'ackets on one side ofthe bearing 43 only, a s' shown in'Fig'ure'3.-A collar 5! (Figure 4); is affixed to the upper' end of the screw'threaded control shaft 2 for preventing axial movement thereof and a hand wheel 52 secured to'the ex- 7 treme upper end of the screwthreadedshaft- 52 is positioned' adjacent the steering wheel of the steering shaft lt within easy reach of the driver. Thusg the' control'shaft"52 may be rotated to swing 'th'etubular shaft BE, and the cutter 3233 vertically about the horizontal pivot ax'isof the shaft 21. q

Su1iported-'beneath the tractor and forwardly f the rotary cutter disc 32 is a pair of vine liftirig shoes 55=which have pointed ends 58 to en g'age beneath'the vines on opposite sides" of a pla nt' row to lift the vines upwardly-along the inclined curved'surfa'c'e and top edge of eachsho'e. The lower-edge 58 is straight for a portion of its length,--"a.nd eurvesupwardiy as at "59am terminate'd ina rear' ortion (iii: Ap'a'ir'of spacedsupportin arms 6i haVe' their' rear'e'n'ds bent downwardly and -forwardly as" at E2}-a'nd' areat-' ta'chedt'o' blocks ii't'fa'stned to the side's of the" Vine lifting shoes 55 (Figure 3)} Theforw ard e'n'dsof the supporting arms 6'! arepr'ovidea tvith transverse tubular 'baring' membe'r's 541 and are ado 't'ed'to niea s ofa tubular bearing' sfh'aft Edint'erposedtherebtw'een} A shaft as "extends" through the tubular bearing i sleeve 64*an d the shaft E5, and cotter keys-not shown' or thelike' may beprovided onthe' ends of th'e shaft 66- for preventing"displacement of the tubu lar bearing's'l'eeve 54. A bracket'arrn tl'is' connected'tdthe 't'ub'ul'a'r b'earing shaft 85Z-and said bracket arm is providedwith diverging arms 68' to the-engine frame 11 m a eonventional man:

4 nor. Bolts H (Figure 3), are provided for pivotally connecting the ends of the diverging arms 68 to the spaced lugs 69, and retaining nuts "I2 are threaded on the bolts to prevent displacement thereof.

Secured to the opposed walls of the vine lifting shoes 55 is a pair of divergent wooden bars I3 which are fastened in place by suitable brackets 14, and have their free ends 15 spaced a slight distance apart and terminating in spaced relation from the' rotary cutter 32 so as to direct vines and plants into the path of the rotary The rear end 60 of one of the vine liftsupporting arm 28 by means of a bar 16 which has one'en'dextending through an opening in ing into an opening 18 in an extension 19 afiixed to"tliere'ar end of this shoe 55, as shown in Figures 1 and 3.

-AfiiXIitb theextension i fig i' a-rea-rwardlyproetting part-eg-wiiicniis-neid: in place by fastening N "such as ts 'and bolts; and"the end of thebar overlies th rotating cuttingi disc 32 to prevent vines and plants' f-rom being throw n laterany wnen engaged by'the cutters 33.

V, In or der -toraise -the vin 'lift'ing shoes 55 from ground' engagement, an armBI is amxed to one of the; bearing s1e-ev'esert (Figure 3)} and-"the upper endof 'th e arin is attached to an extension 32 asst fit of -a' control lever 841- The control lever 84 is pivoted to a stud BS affiXed to th enl'a' g'ed portion 0 otthe tubular 'frame 6, so-that sw-li lgiiig movement "of the' oontr or lever- 84 will raise the fi 'o'r it =e'r-i'd of the shoes 55c- A second arm 8318 secured 1 to the enlarged ortion Ii] ot-the 'ramestructure'g and is provided with a g mtCHS "f0fi receivingthe end of a locking rod 81"sl idab1y mounted on the control leveica andadapted-to pe- Operated 'by a handle 83. When the control handle -rshafttfiis swung about it's'pivot point 85 a clockwise direction (Figure 19:; the levers 5 and fil will be elevated, and'sirle'th arm's i' haIVe their rear ends rigidly ofiixed to the vine-lifting 'shoes' 55, th'e front 'e'nds crane-shoes wn-1 be elevated;

lEnrder toelevate the rear ends of tl-ie' vine lifting shoestii and the cutter disc 32', the control wheel 52 is operated t6 'swing-the tubular etefitrcany abom; the horizontal axis of the shaft 2 When the-arins-28 -are thus'sw'ung'uprods'fi'i connecting the arms '28 and me rear-ends of the vine lifting shoes 55; said rear ends willbe 'elevated a corresponding distance.

In operation, the tractords-drive'd overthe plant row ='so'-that-'tl'ie vine" lifting shoes 55 straddle th'e 'sameg and when the tractor is propelled ardly the-vines orplants are lifted upwardly t 'an" erctpo'si tionb efore being engaged by the rotary cutting blades 33-"; During the forward movement of the tractor the divergent rods 13 the lifted viri'es' and plants so that" they be gathered'inpositionbefore being engaged By'the cutters 33-.

The various adjustments may be'ac'co'mplished byfmanipulating" thepontrol wheel 52*and lever BG'tQfeIeVat'e the vinelifti'ng shoes 'to'the' correct position, as well asthe cutter with 'respecttothe ou uria "ween claim is: ln -"a-vine liftiiig'means for use with a tractor havirig"a'--rotarycutting mechanism" attached thereto theimprovement"comprising, a pair of vine lifting shoes; having p'ointe'd' forward" ends supporting arms for lifting the vine lifting shoes,

a rearwardly projecting bar fixed to one of said vine lifting shoes and said bar overlying said rotary cutter means to prevent said rotary cutting means from throwing the vines laterally of the cutting means.

JOSEPH R. TEICHMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are 01 resort; in. the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES IA'IENTS Number Name Date 121,123 Owen Nov. 21, 1871 1,397,365 Cook Nov. 15, 1921 1,830,871 Domagala Nov. 10, 1931 1,926,338 Johnston Sept. 12, 1933 2,064,430 Lock et a1 Dec. 15, 1936 2,243,248 Clark et a1 May 27, 1941 2,411,623 Jaques Nov. 26, 1946 

